All Hallows' Eve! Shippo's Revenge!
by Maki Hatayama
Summary: Kagome explains the traditions of Halloween, and Shippo is deeply intrigued. Tired of putting up with InuYasha and Miroku's antics, Shippo sets out to exact his newly Halloween-insipred revenge!


Halloween?" Sango inquired, walking beside Kagome, who held Shippo in her arms, protecting him from InuYasha.

Kagome had decided to stay behind at InuYasha's oh-so-polite request, rather than return home to celebrate this holiday, and was now explaining what the holiday was about.

"That's the popular name for it, in my time." Kagome said. "It used to be called All Hallows' Eve, I think. Supposedly, it's either like the Obon Festival, where the dead are celebrated, or, in other theories, like Samhain, where people perform strange, macabre rituals to frighten off evil spirits."

"I see." Sango replied, intrigued.

Shippo looked up at Kagome, tugging on the tie to her school uniform.

"Kagome… were you going to celebrate your dead ancestors?" Shippo asked.

Kagome smiled down at Shippo.

"No, no, Obon is already over." She said. "I was going to put on a costume and take Sota out Trick-'r-Treating, maybe even get a few treats to bring back. But, I can still have some Halloween fun here."

"Oh? Like what?" Sango asked.

Kagome's smile got just a little bit more devious as she turned her attention back to Sango.

"Well, nowadays, people my age will pull pranks on each other." She said. "With an excuse to put on a disguise, people can get away with playing pranks and scare the pants off of people without ever being discovered by their victims. It's the perfect time for a small but satisfying bit of revenge!"

Sango leaned away from her friend, suddenly uncomfortable with her aura.

"And… your target…" She didn't need to finish that sentence as they walked back into the village after a long walk to calm Kagome's rage with InuYasha.

Even from several kilometers off, Kagome's eyes locked onto the red and white dot that was InuYasha, and she glared her fiercest glare.

Shippo looked back and forth between Kagome, and the village.

_Revenge, huh?_ He thought to himself. _And Kagome encourages it… This 'Halloween' might be fun!_

Without a word, Shippo leapt up out of Kagome's arms, landing lightly on the ground.

"I have some things I need to take care of, Kagome." He said. "Don't come looking for me, alright?"

Kagome broke away from her malicious thoughts to give the young kit a curious look.

"S-Sure, but…" Kagome couldn't finish before Shippo blew up into his floating pink balloon form, and floated off.

With a sigh, Kagome folded her arms, confused, but trusting of Shippo.

"He must be scared of the idea of Halloween." Sango said. "I'll send Kirara to keep him company."

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Kagome said. "Say, can you help me set up my prank? I'll help you with one for Miroku, if you'd like."

It was Sango's turn to send a terrible glare down at the village, spotting a black and purple dot by a couple of unfamiliar dots in the village.

"What do you have in mind?" Sango's tone was a deathly one, rivaling that of Kagome's.

Kagome smirked, and the two women started on into the village.

_Off with Shippo…_

The young kit snickered as he landed in a tree a good ways' out from the village, and pulled out some paper, and the crayons Kagome'd given him.

_Stupid InuYasha! I've put up with your bullying long enough!_ Shippo thought to himself. _Finally, I will have my revenge!_

He began scribbling away some plans for InuYasha, mumbling things to himself, and unaware of the presence approaching him.

Shippo frowned a bit, coming to a stand-still in his planning, unsure of how to properly reach that glorious end result. He sat up straight, eyes scanning the plan, looking for errors while trying to come up with a way to reach the finishing point.

_I can use some acorns… But, he'll recognize that trick if I don't step in, myself._ Shippo thought to himself, tapping a red crayon against his lip._ Plus, I need help creating that perfect aura…_

A sudden shifting sound brought Shippo's thoughts to a stand-still, as his little spine stiffened.

_I… I've been caught!_ He began to panic on the inside, but couldn't move just yet. _Wh-Who… Who is it? A-Am I going to s-survive this encounter?_

Shippo began to turn around, seeking the face of whomever had discovered him and his plot. Inside, his breath had left him, and his bones felt cold, seeming to squeak loudly as he twisted around to look behind him. He was quite certain that his death was standing behind him. Finally, his eyes found the figure standing behind him.

_Purrrrr!_

For a moment, Shippo was still, allowing the warmth to return to his bones. A single bead of sweat trailed down from his temple to his chin, and fell on the bark of the tree he stood in.

"K… K-Ki-Kirara!" Shippo gasped, his breath returning to him.

The little nekomata mewed happily, her tails swishing from side to side.  
Finally, Shippo wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sighed heavily.

"I thought I was gonna die!" Shippo said, seating himself down, and picking up his drawings. "You need to wear a bell!"

Kirara purred, walking around to sit beside Shippo. Shippo scratched behind her ear, and showed her his plan.

"I'm making plans for my revenge on InuYasha for 'Halloween'." Shippo said, keeping his voice low. "I'm almost there. I know what I want to do, and what it'll look like once I've done it… I just don't know how I'll get there! I'd need to be much faster to accomplish this!"

Kirara purred. No one could be certain if she'd understood or not. But, as Shippo turned to look at her, an idea struck him.

"That's it! Kirara, you've come at the perfect time!" Shippo said. "I need your help!"

Kirara tilted her head to the side. Shippo leaned over by her ear, and began whispering his plan to her, every so often, snickering at his own brilliance.

_Meanwhile, off with InuYasha…_

InuYasha strolled along, waiting on Sango to return with a hopefully calmer Kagome so that they could leave, at last.

_Don't know why that idiot gets so mad._ InuYasha thought to himself. _She knows we have important stuff to do here. More important than some silly festival. She needs to get over herself…_

_Sit boy!_

InuYasha stopped where he was, ears and eyes perking to full alert. It wasn't Kagome. He knew this much. He'd be six-inches deep in the dirt if it'd been her. He just didn't know who it _was_.

_Sit boy! Sit!_

The voice came from a different direction, this time. InuYasha turned half-way around, just enough to look behind him.

"Show yourself!" He snapped. "What do you want?"

No answer. After a few seconds, InuYasha scoffed, and folded his arms, beginning to brush it off as his imagination.

_That _is_ what she'd tell you, isn't it? Kagome would tell you to sit when you anger her like this, wouldn't she?_

InuYasha looked around once more, seeking the source of the new voice. It hadn't even come from any particular direction, either. Who was this?

_It must hurt… when those magic beads pull you down into the dirt…_

"Shut up! It's none of your business!" InuYasha snapped. "Kagome's not here right now! I don't have to worry about it, even if it _did_ hurt!"

The voice snickered and a chorus of smaller voices began laughing with it.

_She must be very mad, now… That poor demon slayer was terrified... Couldn't even stop her from coming back toward the village…_

InuYasha stiffened, and tried not to show it.

_I could hear her practicing… Sit boy! No, no, InuYasha, sit! No, give him no warning! Plain and simple, SIT!... It sounds like she'll be giving you the command several times when she finds you…_

InuYasha was beginning to panic a bit on the inside, but, hid it with a dark glare.

"Shut the hell up!" InuYasha said. "I'm not afraid of Kagome! No matter how mad she gets, she won't hurt me!"

_I wonder… how many commands do you think it would take to sit you straight to hell?_

InuYasha had no come-back. Whoever this was, they'd seen how angry Kagome was, and they knew that he was in danger.

_Ten? Twenty? With the storm in her step, I can tell she won't even stop at a hundred!_

The chorus of evil laughter rang up once more. InuYasha was frozen as the scenery began to darken around him.

_I'm dead… I made Kagome mad, and now she's going to sit me to death for it!_ InuYasha thought to himself. _I need to run! I don't know where she is right now, but, I have to try running!_

_Here he is, Kagome! Come this way! InuYasha is over here!_

With a yelp of fear, InuYasha took off running in the direction he'd once been walking. Behind him, he could hear the roar of some kind of demon joining in with the wicked laughter, and mock 'sit's.

Hearing all this, InuYasha willed himself to run faster.

"No! No! I'm sorry, alright! Please, just don't say it!" InuYasha yelled, hoping Kagome could hear him.

He was reaching the end of the path, and was blocked off by some houses. With a mighty leap, InuYasha bounded over those houses with ease… and soon wished he hadn't.

There… just beyond the houses… raven hair fluttering in the still air… fists squeezed tight at either side… eyes set with an inhuman glare…

InuYasha screamed out in absolute horror, as he fell to the ground right at her feet.

"I-nu-Ya-sha…" She sounded out his name in the most ghastly tone. "Sit!"

Everything fell still. Darkness lifted. Kagome faded away into a sudden breeze. InuYasha remained where he was, unharmed by the 'sit' command. He blinked a couple of times, beginning to realize…

_I… I was… dreaming?_ He thought to himself.

A disturbed smile formed on his face, and InuYasha began to snicker, stumbling to his feet. As he started away, he began to cackle, frightening off some of the villagers as he wandered along, his knees shaking, and his breath still coming to him in heavy pants.

Over his own volume, InuYasha couldn't hear the culprit behind his terror snickering off behind him.

"That was perfect!" Shippo said. "And Kagome will sit him silly when he finds the real her!"

Kirara mewed in agreement.

Shippo sat back for a moment, enjoying his success, patting Kirara's head in thanks for her help carrying him around to help his voice echo from all around.

"Kagome was right! Halloween is fun!" Shippo said. "Even if she didn't get to bring candy…"

That said, Shippo began to feel a sudden emptiness. Every time Kagome brought candy, and Shippo got to the last one of his share, two people had always stolen it from him. InuYasha was number one, and Shippo would be fine without seeking anymore revenge on him for a while. The other person, however…

Shippo got to his feet, not needing to write down a plan or anything. He knew what he wanted to do.

"Let's go, Kirara." Shippo said. "It's time we got him back for being so sneaky with everyone he meets!"

And off they went, ready to pull one more prank before truly settling down.

_Meanwhile, off with Miroku…_

"Good Monk, I fear I am haunted by an evil apparition!" A young woman said, walking up to Miroku. "Try as I might to keep a husband, he slips right through my hands every time! What shall I do?"

Putting on a very serious face, Miroku took her hands in his, and held them firmly.

"I shall exorcise it." He said. "However, this will be tricky… you might have to treat me as though I am your husband until this apparition shows itself. Are you prepared to do so?"

A light blush appeared on the woman's face. While Miroku tried to focus on this woman, and make her believe him, a certain sense began to nag him. A prettier woman was near.

Slowly, Miroku turned, and spotted a lovely pink kimono with a cherry blossom petal pattern all over. The maiden wearing such a lovely garb wore a white veil over her head. All he could see of her head was the ends of her dark hair peeking out from beneath the veil.

_Such a delicate creature shouldn't be wandering the streets alone._ Miroku thought to himself. _She should be escorted by a man. And, if that man is not to be her husband, or a close relative, then he shall be a Buddhist Monk!_

"On second thought… A jealous by-stander may just be creating a poltergeist and sending it to you." Miroku said, turning back to the woman in front of him. "And I may have just spotted her. Allow me to go investigate, until I know for sure?"

The woman nodded once. In the blink of an eye, Miroku was gone, and tailing the lovely kimono, which had suddenly increased its pace to keep ahead of him. Miroku followed until the kimono stopped behind one of the houses, out of everyone else's eye-shot.

"Pardon me, Miss, I don't mean to stalk you." Miroku began, leading up to one of his favorite pick-up lines. "However… I am a Monk. And I sense that you are being haunted by entities unseen. I am here to help you exorcise them."

As he watched her, a sudden white blur headed toward the woman caught his attention. When she caught it in her arms, and began to pet it, Miroku's brow furrowed as he saw that it was Kirara resting in the woman's arms.

The figure in the pink kimono gave a delicate giggle of amusement, pulling the veil off as it turned to face him. Miroku stiffened now, all intent to charm this woman leaving him in the wind.

"Oh, I'm not haunted by ghosts." She said. "I kill monsters and ward off ghosts for a living. I, good monk, am only haunted by a deep, burning hatred for your despicable lecherous ways!"

Sango was the woman under the veil, smiling happily, as though she hadn't just caught him womanizing right under her nose.

"S-Sango! Y-You… You know I was only joking about taking payment, right?" Miroku asked. "I-I really did sense evil entities lingering on those women! You believe me, as your comrade, right?"

Her smile shrunk, slightly.

"Then… you sense evil entities on me, as well?" She asked, her voice doubtful.

Miroku stiffened, realizing that Sango was perfectly normal, and thus, would make him pay for lying, and womanizing around.

Sango's smile faded away entirely, leaving a blank expression behind. Miroku leaned away from her, now, knowing that Sango just didn't know the proper expression for the rage boiling within her. For a moment, everything was silent, and neither moved or spoke for quite some time.

All of a sudden, Sango moved. Miroku cried out in fear, and brought his arms up to protect his face.

"Do what you want." Came a very calm voice. "Don't expect me to stick around and watch you do it, though."

Upon hearing footsteps, Miroku looked up, and spotted Sango walking away. Suddenly fearing the departure of his greatest ally, Miroku started after her.

"Wait! Sango! Just listen to me, please!" He called after her.

"No way, monk!" Sango replied, still sounding just fine. "You go enjoy yourself! After all, I'm going to _let_ you be with those women."

"That's not fair! I'm trying to apologize!" Miroku said.

"Don't bother!" Sango said. "You've apologized enough! You should go have fun with those women while I won't ask you to apologize for it!"

"I know you won't ask! You always beat it out of me!" Miroku retorted.

All of a sudden, Sango stopped. Miroku bumped into her right before stepping back, realizing that he'd said too much. Kirara crawled up onto Sango's shoulders. Slowly, she turned around, her face still perfectly straight. Miroku took a deep breath, realizing that he was going to leave in physical pain, one way or another. But, there was still a chance to help her get into a better mood.

"Please, just go ahead and hit me." Miroku said. "Don't make me wait. I don't want to spend the day looking over my shoulder."

Another long silence fell between them. Miroku's insides began to squirm with fear of the coming pain, and he could feel himself sweating all over.  
Finally, Sango closed her eyes, sighing as she swiveled her shoulders around, stretching them free of any stiffness. Miroku winced as she raised her hands up, and began popping her knuckles… slowly… one at a time.

_Pop… Pop… Pop!_

Miroku felt a tingling on the back of his neck, and his hair stood on end.

_Pop… Pop… Pop!_

Without realizing it, Miroku began to quiver, and cringe with every pop of her fingers.

_Pop… Pop… Pop!_

At this point, Miroku was on the brink of wetting himself, and his knees were giving out. Anymore of this, and he was certain that he would die.

Sango took hold of her last little pinky, and began to tug it a bit. Miroku could hear the strain in her skin as she tried to stretch that joint out. He could hear the bone in her pinky slowly shifting into the more comfortable spot that she was looking for. He was at his wits' end. Finally…

_POP!_

Miroku froze, suddenly very cold, and feeling sick. Sango stretched her arms a bit more, flexing her fingers to ensure proper movement. She looked up at Miroku as he watched her stretching, and smiled.

"So… shall I slap you?" She asked. "Or, should I punch you? Or, I can go get the Hiraikotsu, and-… H-Hey!"

Miroku suddenly fell forward onto Sango, and she slowly lowered him to the ground, turning him over so that she could inspect the damage. His eyes were open. She waved at his vacant-looking eyes, watching for a response. Nothing. He was out with his eyes open.

An uncharacteristic grin grew across Sango's face as smoke went up around her. As the smoke cleared, Shippo was left in Sango's place, smiling proudly as he slid out of the over-sized pink kimono.

"Too easy!" Shippo said. "But, a better reaction than I expected! For a moment, I thought I'd actually have to hit him!"

Kirara mewed, taking her big-cat form. Shippo hopped up onto her back.

"Let's head back, Kirara!" Shippo said. "We've got to tell Kagome that it's okay to go home for a while, now!"

Kirara roared as she took to the skies, carrying Shippo all the way back to Kaede's house. Kagome and Sango jumped at his entrance, fearing that their pranks would be spoiled. Quietly, though, the young kit and his feline friend went to sit in the back of the building, and settled in to take a nap after a long day of pranking his adversaries.

Kagome and Sango looked at each other, both heaving a sigh of relief.

"If this prank goes well, I think I'll go back and get some candy for him." Kagome said. "Poor thing probably scared himself sleepy."

Sango nodded.

"I'll try to keep InuYasha off of his case until you get back, then." Sango said. "Meanwhile, hurry! We don't know when they'll be back!"

"Right! Right!" Kagome agreed. "How's my head band? Is it straight enough?"

"It's backwards." Sango said. "Here, let me help."

The girls were dressing up like ghosts, preparing to pretend they'd died and come back to haunt InuYasha and Miroku. With Kagome's magic aura powers and Sango's youkai-hunting tools, they were certain this prank would be the one memorable scare that kept the boys in line for the next decade.

Soon, they were dressed in white kimonos and tied up by a cable attached to the ceiling to help them fly.

"Now, all that's left is to wait for them." Sango said.

Kagome nodded.

"Kaede-sama says she'll let us know when they're coming." She said.

Both girls clung to the ceiling, perfectly prepared to swing down and scare the living daylights out of InuYasha and Miroku. That is… whenever they decided to show.

Hours passed, with the girls adjusting their positions time and time again, exchanging several looks and sighs as they waited for InuYasha and Miroku to show. Finally, they began to notice the sun setting through little holes in the roof, and under the straw curtain that covered the doorway.

The girls exchanged frustrated glances, huffing and puffing in exasperation at all the work they'd done to prepare for a no-show!

A slight shifting got their attention. Shippo was waking up, stretching and yawning, and gently nudging Kirara awake.

"Kagome? Did I miss dinner?" Shippo asked.

Kagome and Sango looked at each other, exchanging frustrated but exhausted looks. They nodded, silently agreeing that it was time to forget about this altogether. Kagome took a breath to speak, preparing to call for Shippo's attention.

All of a sudden, the door opened, and Kaede entered, looking up at the girls.

"Sango, Kagome, they're on their way here." She said. "Are ye still up there?"

Shippo looked up, and jumped slightly, seeing the girls at the top of the house.

"Y-Yes!" Sango whispered. "Get to the back of the room. We don't want to swing into you."

Kaede nodded, moving to the back of the room.

Sango and Kagome tensed up, listening for the footsteps that meant their victims had entered. Shadows appeared beneath the curtain, and it began to shift to the side.

"They should be asleep by now." Came Miroku's voice.

"Not that it matters!" InuYasha spoke up, his voice sounding shaky.

Sango patted Kagome's shoulder, letting her know that it was time. Both girls leapt from the ceiling, and swung down toward the boys, screeching in a ghostly manner and taking hold of each of their victims' shoulders to hold themselves in place, looking them right in the face so they could see their now-horrific faces.

_Hyuuuuu…._

Wind shifted the trees outside. The whole house was still. Kagome and Sango waited for delayed reactions of fear. Slowly, though, Miroku and InuYasha reached up, and removed the girls' hands from their shoulders, looking uncomfortable as they looked around, spotting all their tricks.

"S-Sango…" Miroku stuttered.

"K-Kagome…" InuYasha said. "You…"

Both the girls straightened up, still trying to keep their ghostly looks, feeling they'd scared them badly. InuYasha and Miroku looked at each other, briefly, and then turned back to the girls.

"Are you two playing around with us?" InuYasha and Miroku spoke in unison.

Both girls froze, staring at their 'victims'. Neither really knew what to say in this extremely awkward moment. Finally, Kagome wobbled, and grabbed hold of the cord that held her up, keeping herself from losing her balance. Sango huffed, and grabbed her cord as well.

"You two…" Kagome began.

"… Aren't scared?" Sango finished.

Miroku and InuYasha looked at each other. Both kind of smirked in a nervous way as they turned back to the girls.

"Not a bit!" They said in unison.

"We appreciate this… erm… playful gesture, though." Miroku said. "After you lost your tempers, today, it's good to know that you feel much better, now."

"Keh! Either way was fine by me!" InuYasha scoffed, trying to sound tough.

Sango and Kagome looked at each other, and then back at them.

Shippo stood up, realizing that he had just ruined things for Sango and Kagome, and started outside.

"We've been here working on this prank all day!" Sango said. "There wasn't any time for us to lose our tempers, let alone go find you to do so!"

"Really?" Miroku asked.

"Aye." Kaede spoke up from the back of the room. "I've been watching them this whole time. Ye couldn't have seen them."

InuYasha and Miroku looked at each other. InuYasha folded his arms as he turned to look at Kagome.

"I knew it was a dream." He said. "Not even Kagome can be _that_ scary!"

Kagome glared, feeling her earlier rage returning to her.

"Scary, am I?" She asked.

"That doesn't explain my encounter with Sango." Miroku interjected, stopping a scary fight before it started. "I'm quite sure I was awake. And I'm almost certain… you hit me for my usual activities."

Sango leered at him.

"I would've _loved_ to!" She grumbled.

Silence fell for a moment as people thought things through a bit, and decided what they were going to say next. Altogether, they folded their arms, glares fading away with more thoughtful looks in their wakes.

"Kagome-chan…" Sango said, suddenly. "Only one other person in the area would jump on the opportunity to scare these two, without hurting them at all."

"Who said we were scared?" Miroku and InuYasha asked in unison.

"I know what you mean." Kagome said, ignoring the boys entirely. "Normally, I'd let it go, since he's bullied so often… But, since our perfect prank was sullied for the sake of his getting even… I think I can make an exception."

InuYasha and Miroku looked at each other, suddenly remembering the one person stupid enough to transform into both the girls to scare the living hell out of them.

"That little runt's in for it now!" InuYasha growled.

"Agreed. The only one who may be merciful to him tonight is Buddha." Miroku said.

"Hey! I'm all for a bit of revenge, here, but I won't let you hurt him!" Kagome said. "He scared you; it's only fair to scare him back! No more, no less!"

"Kagome-chan's right." Sango said. "He's still a child, after all."

Miroku and InuYasha both stepped back. After the day they had, even knowing that it wasn't the girls who'd threatened them, they didn't feel up to challenging them now.

"Now, it doesn't take much to scare Shippo-chan wit-less." Kagome said. "It's just a matter of picking the 'how'."

Everyone sat down to think about things, Sango offering her tools for effect and Kirara's service as the main monster, and Kagome offering up the face paints she brought from her time, and help fixing up clothes to make costumes. Within a few minutes, they decided on a simple scare tactic, and began helping each other put on make-up and costumes.

"M-Master Miroku." Came a sudden new voice. "Pardon my intrusion. Food and shelter's been lacking lately, and I was wondering if I could stay here."

Everyone looked to the door, and an idea struck them all at once. The guest was pulled in, told a brief version of the plan, and immediately given a place in it.

_Off with Shippo…_

"I feel so sorry for Kagome and Sango." Shippo said. "They worked for hours on their prank, and beat them to the punch… how can I make it up to them without telling them I did it?"

Quietly, the kit walked along the forest floor, picking up acorns to snack on until he felt safe enough to go back for dinner.

"Well… Ma always liked flowers. No matter how mad she was, flowers would always put her back in a good mood." Shippo said to himself. "I'll pick some flowers, then!"

_Swoosh! Snap!_

The kit's back stiffened at the sound, and he turned to look. Nothing but dark trees, looming high over-head. Another wind blew through, sending a chill through Shippo's body, and causing the trees to moan.

Shippo shook his head, deciding that it was only his imagination. As he turned to look for more acorns, though, a new chill filled his stomach. There were plenty on the ground… all arranged to spell out 'You're gonna die tonight!'.

Shippo stepped back, his breath faltering.

"Wh-What is this?!" He cried out in panic.

Suddenly, he bumped into something. By now, Shippo was trembling so badly, he almost couldn't stand. Slowly, wobbling as he moved, Shippo turned to see InuYasha standing behind him.

"R… R-Run… Shippo…" InuYasha said.

"Eeeehhh?!" Shippo cried. "W-W-What-What's happening?!"

"Shippo-chan…" Came a new voice.

Shippo spun around, and spotted Kagome, Sango and Miroku stumbling their way out of the woods.

"Hurry… save yourself…" Sango droned, sounding half-asleep.

"Don't… fall under… his spell… like us…" Miroku's tone mirrored Sango's.

Shippo looked around at all of his friends.

"What? W-Who?" Shippo asked, tears springing forth from his terror.

His friends advanced toward him in a lazy manner, as though spell-bound by a demon. All Shippo could think was that he was in trouble, now. A demon strong enough to enslave everybody, including InuYasha… that was more than he could handle.

_Heh! Heh! Heh! Are you asking… about me?_

Shippo spotted an enormous shadow on the ground. Trembling uncontrollably, Shippo turned to face the creature behind him.

Its entire face was orange, and its eyes were black with glowing green pupils. There were no teeth in its mouth. Instead, its lips seemed to make up the teeth, and the back of its throat seemed to be glowing.

Shippo screamed out in terror, springing forward to sit upright.

_I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna..._ Shippo looked around, his thoughts slowing down a bit.

He was suddenly in Kaede's house. It was morning out, and everyone was sitting around Kaede's fire pit, having breakfast, and looking at him in surprise.

"Shippo-chan?" Kagome said. "What's wrong?"

Shippo was quiet for a moment, working to catch his breath.

_I… I-It was all… just a dream?_ Shippo thought to himself. _Man… what an awful dream! I'll never go to sleep guilty like that again!_

"I-I-I'm alright." Shippo said. "J-Just… yawning. Yeah! That's it! I was yawning!"

Giving little laughs to pretend he was alright, Shippo went to join the group for breakfast.

_Still… I don't remember going to sleep…_ Shippo thought to himself. _Maybe… I just didn't wake up from that nap I took until now? That must be it…_

As he began eating quietly, Kagome cast a sneaky smile at Sango, Miroku, InuYasha, and the recently added Hachi.

_He doesn't suspect a thing!_ Kagome told them in her mind. _Now, _that's_ how you pull a great Halloween prank!_

Sango smiled in return.

_He's not even traumatized! Well-planned, Kagome-chan!_ Sango told her friend in her mind.

Miroku gave a little nod as he smirked.

_Good. She'll be treating Hachi for his help._ Miroku thought, believing he had the right message. _I don't think I can afford to take him to any taverns, this time!_

InuYasha grinned impishly, glancing over at Shippo.

_Finally! She's letting me off the hook!_ InuYasha thought to himself. _It's about time! Shippo hasn't even touched his fish, yet!_

With that, InuYasha reached over, and stole Shippo's fish, though everyone could see it.

"HEY!" Shippo cried. "That's mine! Give it back!"

Before Shippo could snatch his fish back, InuYasha bit off all the meat, leaving nothing but clean bones on the fish.

Shippo gasped in shock and despair, tears touching his eyes.

"WAAAAAAH! KAGOME! INUYASHA'S BEING MEAN TO ME!" Shippo cried.

Kagome calmly set her rice bowl on the floor, laying her chopsticks flat on top of it as she stood up.  
She spread her feet apart, and her hands curled into fists. She leaned forward slightly, putting on her best glare. All this to brace for her best subduing command ever.

"InuYasha…" Kagome said. "Be a good boy and… SIT!"

InuYasha fell to the floor, crying out in pain as his face connected with the wood.

Shippo quieted immediately, beginning to eat again.

_Stupid InuYasha. You never learn._ Shippo thought to himself. _You should know that I _always_ get my revenge!_


End file.
